Double knitted fabric and process for treating the same



i i, No Drawing.

Patented Nov. 10, 1931 PATENT I OFFICE II xwELI. MEYERS, or rIIItAnE rIIIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon To CLARENCE I..

MEYERS, INc., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, o'onronA'rIoN on IE NsYn vANIA nouiann' KNITTED FABRIC NnrnocnssFon TREATING THE SAME This invention relates to two-ply knitted fabric, wherein one plythereof is first knit in the usual manner and is composed of one kind of'material, for example, natural silk thread; and wherein the second ply of the fabric is knitted as a continuation of the first ply, but of a different kind of material, for example, natural or mercerized cotton'thread. The continuous stripof fabric formed in the above'manner is'then folded alonga line extending course-wise of the fabric at the 7 place where the last formed course of silk thread stitches joins with thefirst formed course of cotton thread stitches The fabric when" folded in the above manner and laid out flat forms a two-ply or double faced fabric, having'one face composed of silkand the opposite face composed of cot- I ton. The free edges of the two-ply fabric thus formed, are subsequently joined together.

At the folding line where the silk thread joins with the cotton thread certain of the stitches may be transferred from one needle to the-next at spaced intervals across the; fabric, so that whenthe fabric isfolded, in-

the manner above noted, a fancy edge is formed on thefabric at the fold. y In order to make the both plies of free edges of the folded strip are joi'nedtogether' and so'that the fancy edge formed at the fold line will not overlie one or the other ofthe plies but will project outwardly from of the turned welt, thefree edgesof the strip 1 of which the turned weltis 'composed being interknit with each other and with the body of'the stocking. a I EU I Prior to my invention, which will be fully disclosed hereinafter, it has been found necessary, In order 'to have the'picotingv he flat the fabric lie fiat, one upon the other, when the 1 Application filed December 19, 192 9. Seria1'1 o; 415,361..

in themanner above noted, to the back face or ply of the fabric of silk threads, the

same as isemployed inthe formation of the front face'or ply of the fabric. Any attempt to make the back face ofthe welt of cotton thread has resultedin the picoting being,

curledifrom its desired flat plane,,over the front-silk face of. the fabric.

This curling of the picoting has been found to be caused by anon-uniform contraction or shrinking between the silk and the cotton during the finishing or dyeing processes per.-

formed subsequent to the knitting of the stocking.

The above noted unevencontraction of the different materials in the different plies of 1 the fabric has been found to be caused byithe boiling-out, during the dyeing or finishing process, of certain substances contained in the silk and-which are not present in the cotton, consequently when the silk'fabric is re duced infvolume, say, for example, twentyfivepercent due to this boiling, out and no such change in the volume of the cotton is efi'ected, the1picot edge at the'fold in the fabric is caused to curl as the silk fabric contractsw' e r V y The .boil-out substance in the silk usually comprises a definitely predetermined percentage of natural gum in the silk and a composition consi'stingprimarily of oils or fats,

such, for example, as olive oil, with'or with p out certain chemicals which are sometimes included in the boil-out substance for varioust reasons, the oils or fats, however, are essentially introduced to the pure silk thread before knitting,qfor the purpose of maintaining; the silk in'a soft pliablestate sothat it may be readily workedby the knitting This boil-out substance is introduced in definiteproportions relative to the weight or volume of the pure, silk thread, the silk threadibeing sold to the trade with the stipulation that-the bulk of thread contains a defi o A have found by av series of experiments that the cotton thread, either natural or merneedles without fear of breaking the thread. #99

cerized, can be similarly providedl with" a t boil-out of approximately equal percentage to that introduced into the pure silk thread; and that the percentage of boil-out in the cotton can be regulated to approximate percentage of boil-out contained in the silk with which the cotton is to be used in the formation of a two-ply fabric of the-character abovedescribed;. and that whenafabric,

such,.-for example, as the turned welt. or? a stocking, is formed with one face ofthe Welt composed of silk thread having a definite percentage of boil-out and-the other;f-aceof the welt composed of a cotton thread having a definite percentageof boil-out equaling substantially the boil-out contained in the silk thread, and the knitted stockingsubsequently subjected to a'fin-ishing or dyeing process wherein the temperature of'the pro-' cesslng' bath is ra sed-to a point sufiicient'to dissolve or. otherwise expel the boil-off? from the fabric, the. volume of the cottonfaceof the fabric will beldecreased equally-with the volume of the silk faceof the 'fabric';yand that due to the equal or uniform contraction of both faces or plies of'the fabric as'pro the silk or. the cotton thread as desired.

' Experiments have proven that the cotton will not retain the boil-off oils to thesame extent aswill the silk, without the introduction of someother agent and whilevarious and numerous. chemicals or substances may be used for the purpose I have founda' very efficient and economical combination to be had in the use of starches and suitable gums with oils orfa-t-s forming the base'of'the boiloff composition.

From the above description, it willbe quite obvious to those familiar with the art of knitting, and especially to" those en'gaged in the knitting. of hosiery, that I have provided an innovation in the art, which will permit the hosiery manufacturer to use a-cottonthread in the knitting'of the back ply of the. turned welt of'av stocking, and at the same time per mil: the manufacturer to form the' desirable pi'cot or other fancy edge on the stocking such as is demanded by the greater portion ofthe trade. s

'Pure. silk thread. obviously is more expensive than. cotton,.therefore, it will be-obvious that by providing a: cotton threadwhic'h' can be incorporatedlin the stocking at unobservable places where'it has been necessary heretofore to use silk, forthe reasons above/noted. the manufacturer is able toprovide a better article for less money than heretofore.

The cotton back onth'e welt not only reduces the cost of the stockings but being of a stronger nature than silk is less liable to become damaged by the garter grips.

Obviously, the basic principle of the invention,thatis,.providing silk andcotton threads which are to beworked intoa piece of fabric,

with equal amounts of boil-off substance whichisadaptedto be subsequently removed by a suitable.extractingprocess, may be applied 1n the manufacture of various kinds of fabric, for example, I may form a knitted foundation. fabricrofsilk thread and plat tain of the: wefts" are: silk and others are of cotton:

' Thea'dvantage ofithe inventionis that no matter in whatikindaofi. fabric or in what combin'ation 'the; threads; are; used in the fabricwhenthe fabric: is. subsequently passed through a process which. willveXt-ract thebci-l-ofl substance the volume of the fabric will contract uniformly and will consequently lie flat;

I claim 1 An article of. manufacture bonsistingof a: fabric composed; of silk thread containing a: predetermined; amount of boil-off substance and cotton thread containing a predetermined amount of boil-0E substance substantially equal to that contained in the silk thread. I

- 2. Ana article Of'IIliLIlllffiCllllIG consisting of ai knittedlfabric composed of. silk thread containing a: predetermined amount of. boil-cit substancevandcotton thread containing a predetermined amount of boilx-ofi substance subtially equal to that contained in the silk thread.

3. An. article of. manufacture-composed. of two knitted. fabrics disposedin parallel relation to each; other and joined together at at leastitwo' of: their oppositely disposed. edges, one: 'of'saidtfabrics being composed of silk thread? containing. a definite amount-of boiloff? substance; and: the. other. of said-fabrics being composed of cotton thread containing an samnunt of. boil-off substance substantiallyse'qual'tothat contained in the first said fabric." I

t 45. A-;stocking' having"- a turned welt of which the: fabric forming the front face is composed-ofcsilk thread containing apredetermined amount of boil-off substance, the fabric forming" the "back face of. said turned welt being composed of cotton thread containing a definite amount of boil-0E substance substantially equal to the amount contained in the silk thread of front-face fabric of 'thewelt;

1 ,sa1,747 I 5. A stocking having a turned welt of which the fabric forming the front face is composed of silk thread containing a predetermined amount of boil-off substance, the

5 fabric forming the back face of said turned welt being composed of cotton thread containing a definite amount of boil-olf substance substantially equal to the amount contained in the silk thread of front-face fabric of the Welt, said welt having a fancy edge formed at the line on which the Welt is turned and extending outwardly from said edge in a plane substantially parallel to the general plane of the turned welt.

6. A process for treating fabric consisting of silk and cotton threads, said process comprising the application of suitable boiloflt' substance to the silk and cotton thread in substantially equal parts alike prior to 2 the formation of the fabric; and the extraction of the boil-off substance subsequent to the formation of the fabric.

7. A process for treating stockings having turned welts, of which one face is composed of silk thread while the reverse face is composed of cotton thread, said process consisting ofv the application of suitable boilofi substance to the silk and cotton threads in equal parts alike prior to the knitting of the stocking and the extraction of the boilofi substance subsequent to the knitting of the stocking.

' MAXWELL MEYERS. 

